A flats boat is unique to most other boats. Like a canoe it will draft in very shallow water yet has a large enough beam to be very stable. Like a bass boat it will quickly get up on plane but has a much shallower V in the hull, thus allowing it to traverse over very “skinny” water. It is unique because of the tall platform that rests just above the motor. This poling platform is sometimes seen on Pangas. However, a quick Goggle search resulted in my finding only one Panga with a platform on it. I fished in Belize with one of my best friends for 6 straight days on a Panga with a platform. All of my other flats fishing experiences have been on traditional flats boats with this kind of poling platform. The platform allows the angler’s partner, or guide, to push the boat quietly through the shallow water with a long pole. It also aids in the spotting of cruising and tailing fish.

I was fortunate to find the platform back in 2006. A marine store in Michigan sold it to me via eBay for about one eight the cost. Flats boats are typically used in the Gulf or the Caribbean so this item was quite a long way from home. I think its location added to its low cost – I mean who is going to take a flats boat out on Lake Michigan with a poling platform? It appears that one of the legs is out of alignment and will need some adjusting. I should be able to straighten it up with a mig welder. Nothing appears to be damaged, just out of alignment.

Poling Platforms of this kind, made by Blue Point Fabrication, usually sell for around $950, but I picked this one up for only $99! What a blessing! The seller wanted more for shipping than they did for the product. They wanted $150, which was no surprise considering its awkward size. I asked them to hold onto it for me while I shopped around for a lower shipping service. Greyhound was the ticket. This company shipped it to the local station for only $56 bucks! Keep that in mind next time you purchase something awkward in size.

The only problem I can see with this platform is that one of the legs seems to be welded on a little crooked. This may be another reason why I picked it up for so cheap. Once I get a little closer to its install on the deck I may try to re-weld the original seam just under the top platform with my dad’s new Lincoln Electric mig welder. I will soon upload another post documenting the construction of the wooden platform that bolts on top of the aluminum frame. It is coming along quite nicely… so stay tuned!

Right after I replaced the glow plugs the water pump started leaking. It is unrelated to the last repair and it is located on a totally different part of the engine.

The repair went pretty well. I first drained out all the antifreeze/water out of the engine and took off the overflow tank. I then removed the belt and the hoses attached to the pump. A c-clamp works well for removing and installing the hose clamps.

The hard part was removing the fan. The first fan removal wrench set that I rented form AutoZone, consisting of a pulley holder and a wrench, were too small. I took it back for the correct size and proceeded to remove the fan. It is not like working on a normal car. I have to get up onto the engine and sit directly above the fan in order to get enough leverage to twist on the wrench and pulley holder.

This second wrench was not working at all. After it slipped twice, and started to smooth out the edges of the nut, I backed off and was very irritated at the part manufacturer for making such a poor quality wrench. (see photos)

I think God was teaching me a lesson in patience because the very next day, after purchasing a set of wrenches large enough to do the job, the nut was totally loose. I did not even need the wrench to take off the fan nut. That is how loose it was. Maybe the second time the wrench slipped it was actually loosening. I doubt this because I tried to use the rental wrench to tighten up the fan nut so I could take the new wrench set back unused. No go… it simply slipped again. The opening of the wrench was just too large to grab hold of the nut. I ended up using the new wrench to install the fan. It worked like a champ.

After the fan was out of the way I tackled the removal of the pump. Once the pump was off, I stripped it of its good parts and installed the new water pump on in very little time. Using a torque wrench I completed the job and reattached the hoses.

I flushed the radiator a few times and filed it back up with ½ antifreeze and ½ distilled water. I test drove it last night and it worked like a champ. The heater and AC both work fine and there were no leaks. I am very pleased.

P.S. Antifreeze is highly toxic. Wear latex gloves and dispose of the liquid properly. Do not put it down the drain or into the street gutter!!!!! That is not cool.

Awhile back the Check Engine light came on. I pulled a code with my scanner and it said the #8 glow plug was bad. I then verified this problem with a code scanner from O’Rreilly’s. It pulled the same code.

After doing some research on how to complete the job. I swapped the old glow plugs out for new ones and the check engine light went back off. Success!

Here was the basic procedure of what I did. If this is your first time to do this kind of repair then I suggest allocating 5 to 6 hours. If you are somewhat familiar with your engine you can probably do the repair in less than 4.5 hours.

I encourage purchasing the Chilton Total Car Care Manual for your vehicle before tackling any jobs from your home garage. I picked mine up about half way through this repair. Fortunately I was on the right track. The manual will make most repairs easier and is full of good information.

First, I removed the stainless steel air tubes to get them out of the way and placed a plastic bag or a latex glove over the openings to keep any junk form falling in the system. I did not wash my engine before hand but I highly recommend it. I also backed the serpentine belt off with a break over bar to free up more space.

I then removed any other little items out of the way of the valve covers and took them off the engine. Under the valve covers are the glow plugs located next to the rockers and the injectors.

Next, I popped off the glow plug electrical connectors. After loosening the glow plugs I used a model airplane fuel line to slip down over the glow plug and back it out. They are in quite deep and if you back them out all the way with the long socket, the rocker gets in the way. New glow plugs were then installed and torqued* to the correct tightness with a traditional torque wrench. I used the model airplane fuel line to tighten the glow plugs all the way in before using the deep socket to torque the glow plug tight. The glow plug has numerous threads and this makes it very easy to install them before using the socket.

The 7.3 Power Stroke has 2 valve cover gasket that the electrical connections run through, connecting the wiring harness from the computer to the glow plug and injectors. I replaced both gaskets and carefully reattached the wires and installed the valve covers, again using the torque wrench. After putting the air ducts back on and installing any other little things that were removed, I fired the engine up and the check engine light did not come back on.

* I encourage getting a simple torque wrench, not a complex torque wrench with an internal torque adjustment. I purchased one of the more complex torque wrenches and almost damaged the threads in the engine. The internal torque adjustment failed. The more simple torque wrenches are only about 10 bucks and are quite easy to use. They have a gage down by the handle.

Original 18' Schematic.

The fuel tanks have arrived. I purchased these two tanks from The Grate Lakes Skipper. After talking them into reducing their already low price, I made my purchase. The tanks will be mounted under the front deck between bulkheads A and B and will be accessible by a hatch door in bulkhead B.

Here is a picture of Colton checking out the sending unit (the part that tells you when you are low on fuel). The two cardboard tape bodies found on top of the tanks are there to protect the 1/4" NPT aluminum withdrawal. The fill line and the vent are located on the very top and each have a small yellow plug in them. I guess to keep the critters out. The dimensions of the tanks are 29 X 13 X 10 and both will perfectly fit between the cockpit sole and the underside of the deck, while still allowing for storage between.